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STORY: :: Aviation experts are puzzled by the deadly air crash in Washington:: January 30, 2025:: Daniel Bubb, Commercial aviation expert"Military aircraft can do training exercises any time during the day. They can operate in and out of civilian airports as well. In fact, around the country, we even have major airports that are both joint military and civilian. So they can do that. But my overarching question is, you know, and it's hard to know what was the helicopter pilot thinking? The American Airlines jet was on final approach to runway 33. They're in the landing configuration which means they have all their lights on, including landing lights. It's a clear night. How can you not see the plane?""We also have technology on board our planes, one of which is an instrument called a traffic collision avoidance system or a TCAS. And what that does is it shows all the planes that are around us within about a five mile or ten mile radius. And it shows how high above us they are, how far below us they are so that we're aware. So if one gets close to the plane, you'll hear the TCAS traffic, right. And so that's the other thing. You know, aircraft technology is modernized. And that's why there are just so many questions here. It just, it just doesn't make sense.":: Mike Ginter, Senior Vice President, AOPA Air Safety Institute"Was this accident preventable? The answer is probably. I can tell you that the airspace in and around Washington, D.C., is the most restricted, regulated, controlled, complex airspace in the country. There are several layers of security rings around Washington, D.C., ever since 911. And that accident happened within a couple of miles of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is inside what's called the flight restricted zone. Any aircraft flying in that area is under direct and specific control of air traffic control, including that helicopter and that airliner. So, the answer is, yes, it was probably preventable. And that's exactly what the NTSB will uncover in their investigation.""The military training is bar none. Exquisitely great. It's excellent training that the military pilots receive in all branches of the service. So I would probably encourage listeners not to, not to cast an assessment on 500 or 1000 hours of training. That training is top notch, whether it's helicopter or fixed wing or jet or army or Navy or Air force."Former airline pilot Daniel Bubb, who specializes in aviation and airport history, told Reuters it was difficult to comprehend how the helicopter pilot could not see the American Airlines jet during its final approach to the runway.Jonathan Koziol, chief of staff of the Army's aviation directorate, told reporters that the instructor pilot, who was the designated pilot in command, had 1,000 flying hours while the other pilot had 500 hours. The third soldier was a crew chief, typically riding in the back of the helicopter.In relation to training hours, another aviation expert, Mike Ginter, Senior Vice President at Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute, said, "It's excellent training that the military pilots receive in all branches of the service. So I would probably encourage listeners not to, not to cast an assessment on 500 or 1000 hours of training."Ginter added that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would have access to a wealth of data to determine the cause, including radar images, cockpit recordings, and data recorders known as black boxes.
